Bespoken
/bɪˈspoʊkən/noun
Reserved or custom-made for a particular person or purpose; also the past participle of bespeak.
Did you know?Bespoken comes from the old verb bespeak, and in English legal and social usage to ‘speak for’ something could mean to reserve it in advance, as if language itself could bind ownership.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
besprecan
“to speak for, address, discuss”
Middle English
ME
bespeken
“to speak to, request, arrange, reserve”
14th–16th Century
English
bespoken
“spoken for; reserved in advance”
Modern English
English
bespoken
“custom-made or reserved for a particular person or use”